The official responsible for the enforcement of language regulations in Ireland, An Coimisinéir Teanga Séamas Ó Concheanainn, is scrutinising the Department of Education’s commitment to providing secondary education in the Irish language, according to an update given to a combined Oireachtas committee.
The update, provided during the committee’s hearing on the Irish language and the Gaeltacht, revealed that the Department’s delivery on its legal obligations set by the Education Act 1998 is under review. According to the law, the Department is mandated to promote and enable the growth of Irish language education.
Enthusiasts of Irish-language education have been increasingly outspoken in their disapproval of the Department’s efforts, primarily due to an insufficiency of Gaelcholáistí (secondary schools teaching in Irish). Addressing the committee, Mr Ó Concheanainn highlighted that approximately 60,000 learners, across national and Gaeltacht primary and secondary schools, benefit from Irish-medium education each year. Yet, he pointed out a seeming absence of “equitable provision” for existing demands for secondary education in Irish.
A dearth of secondary schools offering tuition in Irish is often pointed out as a major hindrance to higher enrolment in post-primary Irish language education. Department’s statistics reveal that in the previous academic year, 2021-22, 29 secondary schools outside the Gaeltacht regions provided education in Irish. However, seven counties didn’t have a single post-primary school offering education in Irish.
Terming the post-primary availability of Irish-medium education as a significant national concern, An Coimisinéir reaffirmed his office’s commitment to work intimately with the Department of Education on this issue.
Mr Ó Concheanainn has expressed that achieving a target recruitment of 20% Irish-speaking ability in the public service by 2030, as stipulated in the Official Languages Act legislation, demands initial planning at the preschool, primary, and secondary levels of Irish-medium education. The stipulation was established to bolster Irish language service availability.
The Coimisinéir Teanga stressed the necessity of the impending national plan to delineate a ‘feasible and progressive strategy’ towards the 20% target. This is to ensure the appropriate distribution of Irish proficient staff in all interior segments of the public service. This requirement is envisioned as a foundational element of the forthcoming national plan.
Mr Ó Concheanainn emphasised the essentiality of the Irish-speaking community’s trust in the state-provided public services in Irish. He also noted that confidence in public services is amplified when the community observes parity in the delivery of high-calibre public services in their preferred language.
A ‘national commitment’ spanning the third-level institutions was proposed by Mr Ó Concheanainn to solidify the flow of graduates into various facets of the public service. He further proposed the conception of multipurpose campuses in Gaeltacht districts for the delivery of public services entirely in Irish.
The Coimisinéir Teanga was in discussion with the cross-party committee concerning his 2023 annual report, which showed a 6 percent rise in public grievances from 600 in 2022 to 634 in 2023.